


The Fallout from Revolution

by sampima



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27984558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sampima/pseuds/sampima
Summary: After the revolution has finished there are matters left unsettled and issues that still need a resolution for the members of the Dream SMP. This is a collection of those stories.(In less pretentious words, this is some stuff that actually happened after the revolution from the Dream SMP and some stuff I just made up. Enjoy!)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Memories of Brothers

“Hey, Techno!” Wilbur floated as quickly as he could towards his brother. “I need to ask you something.”

He sat sharpening his sword in his base hidden deep underground, without looking up he simply muttered “How’d you find me here?”

Wilbur sat next to his brother, Techno still seemed to hide his gaze from Wilbur. “I remembered you showing us where it was, I actually needed to talk to you about remembering something…” Techno let out a deep breath and finally set his sword aside, Wilbur noticed parts of the sword still stained burgundy, he decided that he didn’t want to know. “Do you remember when we were kids?”

“Of course, including how much of an ass you were back then.” He grumbled with a half smile hidden behind the hair hanging in front of his face. Wilbur cracked a smile, “You’re one to talk. Do you remember sparring with me back then? You refused to let me win a single time.”

The smile faded from Techno’s face, his voice became pained as he questioned, “Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“What, you don’t want to reminisce in the glory of beating your older brother in every single sparring match since you were old enough to stand? I swear you were born with the ability to kick my ass.”

“I don’t. And if you don’t understand that you clearly don’t remember much.” Techno rose to his feet and retrieved his sword from its resting place. He quickly turned as his mind raced for some kind of excuse for him to not look his brother in the eyes again.

“What are you talking about? You were just a goal oriented man. I’ve never met someone more determined-”

“Stop. Talking.” Techno whipped around, sword still in hand. He looked to the floor and took a shaky breath. “Let me just tell you so you can stop bringing this up.”

Wilbur hadn’t seen his brother this shaken since… while ever if he was being honest.

_Phil waded through the flowering field with the little blonde haired boy staring intensely at the bees flitting between them. Behind him he could hear the two others having an intense match. The metallic clinks of two swords bouncing off each other and Wilbur’s jovial hurling of insults while Techno remained quiet against them. As he turned to watch the action he immediately heard the sound of a little kid bounding through the field, he sighed, “I swear I look away for a second and that kid is in some kind of trouble.” Phil called out for the two older boys to be careful while he chased Tommy through the field. It wasn’t hard to catch up to him but the kid just wanted to keep playing._

_Techno’s eyes remained focused, never leaving his opponent’s once. Constantly scanning for any falter or point of attack. Wilbur on the other hand was haphazardly wielding his sword, enough to not be considered truly flailing but not enough to match his brother’s skill. Wilbur resorted to the less honorable route, “Techno, do you ever think about how those giant pig ears make you a bigger target?” He let out a snicker at his own insult._

_If Techno was getting angrier it was quiet, he refused to make some witty retort about his brother in hopes of causing him to make a mistake. He was above that, at least somewhat. As Wilbur continued barely holding his sword in his hand, Techno let out a coy grin. He quickly dipped to the ground and used his blade to hook behind Wilbur’s legs, knocking him to the ground. Wilbur hit the ground with a loud thud with the wind knocked out of him. He quickly grasped for his sword only for Techno’s boot to meet his hand with a sickening crunch._

_Wilbur yelped in pain, “Techno, stop!” His cries were met with a blank face from Techno. Nothing was shown through his eyes other than pure determination. Cold calculations were being made behind those eyes, what they meant Wilbur had no clue. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for something to give. Techno had to have just gone a bit too far in response to his insult, he hadn’t meant to hurt him like that… right? “Please, Techno. I’m sorry for what I said. It was a joke! A stupid joke, I shouldn’t have any-”_

_“Shut up.” There was no joke hidden in those words. The love he felt for his brother had seemingly disappeared as with no warning. Wilbur’s mind was filled with racing thoughts. He tried to shift away as much as he could, Techno responded by simply leaning further onto Wilbur’s already broken hand. He let out a scream, “Phil!”_

_Techno centered his blade on Wilbur’s chest. The tip dug a shallow cut into his skin and blood began to bead into Wilbur’s shirt. No emotions crossed his face as he raised the sword up, he didn’t look at his brother’s face, only focused on the trajectory of the blade. Wilbur’s heart pounded so hard he couldn’t hear anything but his own heartbeat. He shut his eyes, he didn’t want his last memories to be his brother this way. The same brother who had tried his best to share his fighting skills with him, who always listened to his songs regardless of how annoyed he was, who joked around with him at all hours of the day._

_Techno took a shaky breath in and began to bring the blade down. A hand quickly grabbed the blade and with as much force as he could, Phil held the sword up. His hand began leaking blood down the blade, red drips down until they hit Wilbur’s chest, pooling over the blood already staining his shirt. Phil felt Techno begin to push harder, he was so determined… too determined._

_“Techno, let go.” Phil’s voice was firm, his other hand reached up and grabbed his son’s hand. “It’s okay. Just let go. It’s okay now. Please.”_

_His grip lessened until Phil was able to toss the sword aside. Techno quickly collapsed onto the ground, he kneeled on the ground with his hands pressed to his face. His father looked to Wilbur, still shaking in the grass, “Go inside, Will. I’ll be there in a moment. Get Tommy inside too.” Wilbur silently nodded and slowly moved away from his brother crumpled to the ground._

_Silent tears streamed through Techno’s palms, his hair settled around cloaking his face. Phil wrapped his arm around his son and pulled him close, “It’s okay, Techno, it’s okay. I understand.”_

_“Why did I do that? I was going to kill him!” His voice shook with true pain. He glanced at Phil, he noticed the blood leaking onto the grass at his hand. A wave of sobs overtook him, “I hurt you too. Why did I do it?”_

_Techno looked up, searching for some kind of advice from his father, “It’s who you are, Techno. You’re different from us. It’s not your fault…”_

Techno shifted silently away from his brother, little has changed from then. His long hair shielded Wilbur from seeing the tears welling up in his eyes. He went back to his sword. Wilbur shifted backwards, my own brother… His eyes shifted to his hand, and his thoughts went to the white line down the center of his chest.

“What did…” Wilbur looked uncomfortably down at his shoes, “What did Phil mean by ‘It’s who you are'?”

Techno let out a half-hearted chuckle. “What the hell do you think, Wilbur? Huh? Do I just look like a normal person to you? Just like how you can’t control your love for music and Tommy can’t control his obnoxiously loud mouth, I can’t control certain parts of who I am.”

“But you’re my brother.”

“I know.” He turned to face Wilbur. “But that didn’t stop either of us before, did it?”


	2. Trying to Remember

Wilbur seemed to wander aimlessly passing through the wild, through the ravine he and his brothers called home for months, through the deep slash in the world through L’manburg. Each so familiar yet distant, like a dream you’re attempting to recall long after you awoke. He attempted at each place to remember what had happened there but the best he could come up were vague snippets of life. He rested his back against a tree, he couldn’t even remember if this tree surrounded by others just like it was significant or simply a tree hidden away in a forest.

The sound of footsteps cut through his meandering thoughts, someone was coming. Wilbur didn’t know whether it was better to remain as hidden as he could or to search for the source of the noise. Would they greet him with a warm hug or an exchanging of words best summed up in pain. His decision was cut short as he saw a blonde mop of hair approach him and soon Phil stood before him.

“Phil.” Wilbur gave a gentle smile, hoping it would be returned with a similar gesture.

“Wilbur.” His voice was cold, Wilbur’s face dropped. His gaze shifted to the ground. “What are you doing here?”

Despite Phil’s inhospitable tone he sat next to Wilbur, his hands absentmindedly adjusted his hair continuously. Wilbur appreciated the closeness. Someone was going to be here with him, it didn’t matter if Phil hated him he just needed someone. “Trying to remember everything. I don’t know what is real and what isn’t and I don’t know… I just want some answers.”

“What do you remember, Will?” Phil’s eyes turned to his son’s with a pained look of concern.

“I only really remember the happy memories. I remember sparring with Techno when we were kids,” his heart ached after his talk with his brother. “I remember Fundy growing up, he took forever to grow into those giant ears of his, didn’t he? I remember bullying Tommy relentlessly. From the time we were kids up until now. I also remember an explosion and you…”

Phil leaned his head back. He couldn’t comprehend how you face your son after everything that happened. When your son has destroyed his entire country, tried to kill his friends, and then begged you to kill him on the spot before everyone he’s ever known.

“Why are those happy memories, Phil?” He was one of Wilbur’s only anchors. The man who always took care of him, he always knew just what he needed to hear.

He took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I should tell you at this point. I don’t know what to say.”

“Are you on my side?”

“You’re my son,” A pained smile crossed his face, even Wilbur could see the effort it took for Phil to give him a smile. “I’m always going to be here for you.”


	3. Adoption

Wilbur tried to center himself. So far, each person he had come across proved to be just another stab through the heart that he was irredeemable but he was hopeful at least one wouldn’t be. His son, he had to have his son still love him. As he peered into the distance he saw a bright orange splotch of fur moving along the path in his direction. He checked his bag, some of Fundy’s belongings, ready to be delivered to prove he was good, right?

“Fundy! I have some of your stuff for you.” His face broke into a smile, his son, here again.

“Thank you, no one else knew where it went…” His gaze remained fixed to the dirt beneath his feet. He quietly grabbed his items and stepped back.

Wilbur couldn’t withstand the silence. “You’re welcome. See I’m a good dad, right? I’ve done good things for you. I’m here for you. Please…”

His son felt a pain in his chest. “You’ve done a good dad thing. One.”

The strained smile faded from Wilbur’s face, his eyes shifted away. He was different now wasn’t he? If he didn’t even know what he’d done how could he fix this. “I’ll work on it. I’m trying.”

“I’ll say this, you’re trying to be a good dad. There’s one small thing…” Fundy shifted uncomfortably, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Wilbur directly. “I’m getting adopted. Eret is taking me in.”

“What?” His mind swirled with hurt and anger and guilt. “B-but we hate Eret. It’s in the song even.”

“I know. But I just don’t have any, well, living relatives other than Phil. I’m an orphan. I need someone to look after me. I need someone to be a parent.”

“I’m here! I know I’m dead but I’m still here goddammit. Please.”

“It’s all but gone through, Will. Phil just needs to sign the papers, he’s my only living relative now.”

The word made him feel as if a knife had been plunged through his heart. Everyone had left him. Even his own son. How could this happen? He couldn’t comprehend why this would happen. He was still here, he was trying his best, what more Fundy need? “I need to speak with Phil.”


	4. Fathers and Sons

Wilbur left Fundy as quickly as he could. Standing next to him, the news of his adoption, it was going to make him sick. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he needed to do something but he just kept moving towards Phil’s house. Phil always had what he needed, I mean he couldn’t give me answers before but he knows what’s best doesn’t he, Wilbur implored as he continued on.

Phil stood in his house, he quietly hummed a song as he attempted to block out the events of the past few days. He focused his mind away from his sons, each torn apart; from the gaping hole in the earth not far below his own feet; the simple fact that he was the one who had killed his son. He startled at the sound of a knock at his door. “Come in,” he called out absent-mindedly. _Some company_ , he thought, _hopefully some good news for once._

“Dad,” Wilbur let out a meek sound, barely forming understandable language.

Phil noticed the tears streaming down Wilbur’s face, his son let out a weak smile. He rushed towards his son and embraced him. He knew his son was a murderer, a terrorist but he knew he wasn’t the same anymore. “Come here. What’s wrong?”

“I-is it true? Fundy said he was going to be adopted... I’m still his father aren’t I?” Tears choked his voice into a whisper.

“I haven’t heard anything about-” he took a deep breath, this is going to be painful. “It’s true. It isn’t done yet, I want to make sure that Eret is fit to take care of Fundy. I can’t let him get hurt, now can I?”

Wilbur’s gut was wrenched; he buried into his dad’s arms even more as sobs began wracking his body. Pained noises escaped his lips as he stood shaking, Phil held him as close as he could. “Dad, I’m still here. I can be a good dad. I’m trying so hard, Dad. Please don’t take him away. Everyone else is gone…” His rambling pleas for help were cut short but further sobs.

“He needs a dad who can be there in ways you can’t. I promise I’ll make sure that Fundy is well taken care of. It’s not your fault, Wilbur. Listen to me, we’ll still be here for you.”

“Normally, someone’s dad doesn’t just get erased like this… He should carry on a legacy, right?” Wilbur was met with silence from his dad. He didn’t know what to say. “How bad was I, Dad?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Goddammit, they took practically everything,” Techno rubbed the bridge of his nose. He turned to the other chests and began rooting through each and every one. “I’m going to kill them.”

“Didn’t you already try once?” Phil leaned against one of the stone walls with a smirk on his face.

“And I succeeded if you remember correctly,” he let out a small chuckle. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see you. You’re my son, I can’t just abandon you.” Phil left his position against the wall and sat next to Techno as he continued his somewhat frantic search through the chests, hoping that there was something that wasn’t stolen.

“You mean your son who helped destroy a country and murdered his brother? It really does take a lot to disappoint you.” 

“I never said I supported you. If I’m honest I can’t stand that you made those choices but I am a little impressed with your dedication to total anarchy.” Phil smiled and leaned his head back. “I need to tell you something more serious though. I’m worried about Wilbur.”

“Why? He’s dead, it’s not like he can die a second time.” Techno’s tone was dry, witty but cutting a bit too deep.

Phil sent a silent glare Techno’s way, he noticed but decided to disregard it. “I mean he has the mental state of himself long before he went down this rabbit hole and destroyed L’manburg. Yet, no one else sees that he’s changed, at least I think so. Tommy can barely stand to look at him, Fundy doesn’t see him as a dad anymore, everyone is gone. He needs someone on his side.” 

Techno sighed and sat back on the floor, “He’s gonna hate me when he finds out what I’ve done. If he’s truly changed then he would be disgusted by me. Hell, he’d tried to kill me if he could.”

“Listen to me, he’s your brother, he’ll still love you. And he’s always looked up to you. That won’t change.”

“The thing is, he’s changed his mind. He despises the fact that he destroyed L’manburg. I still think, no I  _ know _ , I’m in the right here.”

Phil sighed and rose to his feet. “You can’t do this to your brothers again. You can’t keep destroying everything until they give up. They’re stubborn. Especially Tommy.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve told them how this was going to happen over and over again. They didn’t listen to words. They didn’t listen to violence. And if they don’t get the message already, I’ll just have to keep trying or damage this place beyond the point of repair.” Techno stood and shifted his gaze directly towards Phil. “I’ll talk to Wilbur, I’ll keep the peace but… I’m not going to let this place go to Hell and let them become tyrants simply because they’re family.” 

Phil let out a deep breath, “You and your stubborn ways, Techno. You’ve always been like this.” A pause left the tension in the air palpable. “I never told you much about your childhood, did I?”

“From before what I could remember? No.” 

_ Phil kept hearing footsteps behind him. Something was following him, yet every time he turned around there was nothing in sight. He stepped through the portal, back into the Overworld, ready to his son who had been eagerly awaiting his return for hours. Ready for the stories Phil would tell, years before he would realize the exaggerations and white lies sprinkled throughout. After all, why not let the kid think his dad was a true hero for a bit longer. He rested for a second, sitting in the field for a moment preparing for the trek back to his house. _

_ While he sat digging through his pack, double checking that everything was perfectly in order he felt a strong tug at his hair. Whatever the hell had been following him, was currently crawling on his back with its hands wrapped in his hair. He reached for his sword and grabbed the thing clinging to his back. When he finally succeeded in tugging the small creature off his back he quickly realized what it was, a baby piglin with a lock of his blonde hair firmly in his fist. His eyes scanned the little thing for what felt like ages as it simply rested in Phil’s arms and curiously examined the hair.  _

_ “What are you doing here, little guy?” The piglin reached its small arms out towards his hair again it seemed to be muttering something he couldn’t quite make out. “What are you trying to say?”  _

_ With another fistful of hair pulled out of Phil’s scalp the creature squealed with excitement. “Gold!” _

_ He stared at the piglin, he had figured that his blonde locks were real gold. Phil let out a quiet chuckle. “No, not gold. Just hair. This is my hair.” He settled the young piglin to rest in his pack as he seemed unsatisfied with his treasure of gold to be fake. “How can I explain to Wilbur that he has a new younger brother who is also part pig?”  _

“That explains some things from when I was a kid.” Techno had shifted to lean against the wall, various thoughts about the implications from this knowledge swirled through his mind.

“Do you remember as a kid how you were always pulling Tommy’s hair? It took a long time for you to grow out of that habit.” Phil glanced at Techno’s gold crown sitting proudly atop his head, ironic with his views on the government. “I guess you never fully grew out of that one though.”

Techno’s hand reached for his crown and he let out a gentle laugh. “This isn’t my craving for gold, it's just understanding  _ style _ .”

The two laughed together, their quips and chuckles bouncing off the mostly empty stone room. They sat like that for a while. Trading witty remarks and stories of childhood til the sun had long since set and the darkness had set in outside. Without saying anything the pair knew before long times like this would also become memories, fading into the background of life, context for the pain as they knew they would be torn apart again at some point.


	6. Chapter 6

“I don’t want to talk about it, Phil.” Tommy’s eyes held a defeated look as Phil stared back, equally frustrated. The two had been sat across from each other for what felt like hours at this point. Both stood firm, willing to die on their own hills.

“You don’t have to hide anything from me. I’m your dad. I think you need to talk about it whether you think you want to or not.” Tommy rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. “Your brother destroyed his own country, your country-”

“What do you think I forgot?” His tone of simple frustration at Phil began to bubble over into rage, his eyes faded from an annoyed stare to one of violence and pain.

“Let me finish. I know you remember what happened but have you talked about it? Have you actually thought about what Wilbur did to you? To everyone? Or have you decided to just keep pushing forward so you can ignore it?”

Tommy grumbled, “The second one.”

Phil held his cold stare at Tommy for a few seconds before he let out a chuckle that slowly turned into a deep laugh. His son looked on puzzled. “How did I end up with three kids, all of them more stubborn than the last? I don’t know how you and your brothers didn’t kill each other as kids. None of you have really changed that much.”

“And now look where we are.” Phil hoped this was a start, trying to get Tommy to simply slow down and process things was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do.

“Techno won’t budge, you know that. And neither will you. Wilbur is,” he searched for the right words, “he is somewhere in the middle. I can’t tell if he’s back to his old self or if he just doesn’t remember what he believes is right.”

Tommy began to recognize Phil’s tactics in forcing his hand. His mind was churning over the right words to say, how could he say enough to satisfy Phil’s desire for Tommy to let out his feelings but without saying too much. “I just wish we knew. I mean, it’s easier to know what to do when you know what you’re up against.”

“I understand. You just want the family back, the nation back, the normalcy.”

“Yeah…” Silence hung in the air. Tommy felt like he needed to keep talking, but what was there to say? As the quiet dragged on he knew Phil wasn’t going to let him leave without saying something. “I hate him you know. I mean I always wanted to be like him. He had everything together. And then he didn’t. With all this shit. Screw him.”

“He still cares for you. He’s your brother. Wilbur always wanted to do what was best for you, and that hasn’t changed.”

“Then why the hell did he destroy everything? Huh? Was that meant to protect me? My own brother tried to fucking kill me! My friends…” Tommy jumped to his feet and slammed his hands down on the table. His face reddened and tears began welling up in his eyes. Phil didn’t flinch. “Do you understand what he told me? He just sees me a stupid, annoying brat.”

Phil stood and pulled his son into his embrace. Wordlessly, Tommy sank into his arms and let the tears take over him. As much as he was unwilling to admit it he knew he needed it. He felt so alone. One brother dead after destroying everything he had ever loved. The other alive but totally against him and willing to do anything to prove his point.


	7. Chapter 7

Fundy sat silently in Phil’s home. His face could best be described as a daze, the pain had slipped beyond tears and rage and he had simply gone numb. Phil stood and offered his grandson a glass of water, he knew he wasn’t likely to touch it but he felt that the offer meant more. He gently rested his hand on Fundy’s shoulder, “Do you want to talk about it?”

He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. “I’m tired, Phil. I’m so goddamn tired of this… of everyone leaving me. Do you understand what I went through? Do you?” He gave a sympathetic look, a gentle yet worried smile. “My dad abandoned me when I needed him most, then went on to destroy my entire country. And now he’s dead, killed by my own grandfather.” Phil’s gaze dropped to his feet, he felt a pang through his chest. “He can’t do anything with me anymore. I’ve always wanted to go fishing with him, now he can’t even hold a fucking fishing rod. I can’t even give him a hug! I was supposed to get adopted today, and he doesn’t show. I really thought I was going to get a real dad. Everyone leaves me, Phil. What did I do wrong?”

The tears welled up in his eyes. He could feel his body beginning to shake. The twinge in his throat had morphed into choking, only sobs could break through. Phil quickly leaned in to hold Fundy. He quickly grabbed onto his grandfather and held him, if only holding someone hard enough would keep them there…

As the sobs began to fade into gentle tears Phil eased his embrace, “One moment.” He disappeared upstairs, Fundy could hear him searching through some chests. Before he could return the door opened. Wilbur appeared.

“Hi son,” his voice was strained but eager. Rage began to bubble up.

“Leave. Get the hell out of here.”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“I said to get the fuck out of here!” He rose to his feet, a shaky hand pointed to the door. “Did you hear me?”

Wilbur stood stunned. “I- I’ll leave okay. I’m sorry, Fundy” He turned, slowly, casting a quick glance back at his son before shutting the door behind himself quietly. He lingered just outside the door, before silently drifting away.

Phil returned downstairs, he didn’t know what to say to the situation. _Maybe it’s better to simply be silent_. He extended his arm, a firm grasp held onto a fishing pole. A gentle smile crossed his face.

Tears began welling up in Fundy’s eyes again, but this time with a faint smile. He took the fishing rod from him. Wordlessly the two left the cozy house. Phil led him to a small secluded dock, the light of paper lanterns left sparkles shimmering across the dark lake. They sat down at the edge of the dock, dangling their legs over the cold and murky water below.

“Here like this, just bring your arm back, yeah like that. Then you’re going to cast it forward, almost like you’re throwing it. But don’t actually throw the rod into the lake.” The two chuckled together. “Okay that was good! Now we just have to wait for a fish to bite. Once you see that bobber there go under we’re going to start reeling in.”

The two sat that way for a while. Neither spoke but it was a comfortable silence, where you don’t need to say anything to understand each other. Suddenly something tugged at Fundy’s line. “Phil! There’s a fish, what do I do?”

“Great! Okay, you’re gonna start pulling your fishing rod back and reeling it in, just like that. Yes, you’re doing good, just keep going.” Before long a fish was dangling from the hook out of the water.

“I did it! I caught a fish.” Phil could see the return of that child-like wonder in his eyes. The shine of the lanterns against his eyes, arguably more lit up by the amazement rather than the lights.

“I’m so proud! Now, we have to release them back into the lake. We’re just gonna unhook him now… and back in the water.” A wide grin filled Phil’s face and he rested a hand on Fundy’s shoulder. The two turned to watch the fish swim back into the depths.

A soft whisper, “I’m glad I was here to see this.” Despite Fundy’s immediate recognition of the voice, he couldn’t feel too badly about his dad watching from afar.

Wilbur faded further from sight and into the woods surrounding L’manburg. A bittersweet feeling crossed his heart. His son was able to catch a fish for the first time but he could only be a silent onlooker, a shadowy figure in his own son’s life. His mind drifted to his own first time fishing, he chuckled, his experience was vastly different.

_“I swear if you lot can't get back from a single fishing trip in one piece, I don’t know what I’ll do with you.” Phil watched as his three sons each took turns teasing the others and retaliating. It was frankly stunning to watch how they could throw quips at each other. “Alright break it up we’re heading out, grab what you need.”_

_Wilbur snatched his guitar while Techno grabbed his sword in hand… Tommy just stood there. Phil sighed. “Let’s go.”_

_After what felt like an eternity to arrive at the lake in the forest near their house despite it being a relatively short walk the four rested at the edge. Tommy began pulling out clumps of grass while Wilbur leaned against a tree strumming his guitar. Techno was already out of sight but quickly heard the sounds of a sword hitting a tree. “Nope, we are not doing this. All three of you are going to fish, at least once. Get over here and grab your fishing rods.”_

_“I just wanted to watch the bees,” Tommy grumbled._

_Phil let out a chuckle. “What’s with you and the bees, Tommy?”_

_“I dunno, they just seem cool.”_

_As his other sons returned to sit by their dad he handed each of them a fishing pole. “Okay, I’m going to show you how to do this. You just have to follow my example. Can you do that?” The three nodded, he knew each of them just lied._

_“Okay, you’re going to pull your arms back like this, watch me. Then you’re going to kind of throw your arms forward and cast the line.” Phil watched as each of them somehow managed to cast their lines, until Wilbur gave Tommy a gentle shove that knocked the pole out of his hand._

_“Wilbur, you little bitch get back here!” Tommy lunged at his older brother, Wilbur leapt to his feet and raced off with his hotheaded brother following quick behind. He could hear insults being thrown back and forth as they dove through the woods._

_Techno sat almost stoically staring at the lake, Phil was surprised that one third of their group was able to focus on the intended purpose of this trip. “Hey Techno, you’re doing great. We just have to wait for the fish to bite… and for your brothers to stop acting like asses.” Phil chuckled but Techno didn’t seem to register anything he had said. “Are you alright?” No response. Phil looked closer, he had fallen asleep. Sitting up perfectly with the fishing rod balanced in his hand, he had fallen asleep. Phil sighed but let out a soft laugh. He shifted his gaze back to the bobber, gently floating on the lake’s surface._

_After several minutes Tommy and Wilbur returned to the lake, both out of breath and cursing each other’s names with smiles plastered to their faces. “Are you two going to actually fish or just run around?”_

_“Look, Techno’s fishing. One out of three. Is that not good enough for you, Phil?” Tommy giggled._

_“This jerk is asleep. He fell asleep sitting there like that.”_

_The three let out a roar of laughter rousing Techno, “I’m not asleep…” he muttered under his breath. “Just resting my eyes.” They let out another round of chuckles which even Techno couldn’t resist from joining in on._

_A tug on Phil’s line brought him back to attention. “If you all ever decide to fish just watch me.” He began reeling in as fast as he could. He was fully prepared to show off for his sons, prove that fishing was indeed a fun activity rather than sleeping or chasing each other around the woods, until the line snapped and all that was left to reel in was a broken piece of string._

_“Are you kidding me?!” With a few grumbles cutting through everyone else’s laughter he concluded, “Let’s go home.”_

Wilbur leaned his head against a tree. A smile crossed his face. The childhood memories always lit up his heart, he wished he had all his memories but he felt like having just the pleasant ones was somewhat good.


	8. Chapter 8

Techno sat by the furnaces warming his new home. Far from any others and deep in the wintery, snow-covered hills his humble house stood. He had brought what little remained from his old base with the help of Phil. His dad had been admiring the beautiful paintings lining the walls, he smiled at the singular cow Techno had been able to rescue from the wrath of the others back in L’manburg. 

“You know, you’re never going to get better at socialization if you’re living in a house ages away from everyone else.” Phil said as he joined Techno by the little warmth in the home.

“I’m going into a retirement, I’m leaving behind my violent ways.” He settled his hand on Techno’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

He was somewhat stunned if he was honest. Techno leaving behind his violence entirely seemed out of the ordinary for sure but he understood. Despite his numerous attempts to make his point it was unheeded and no one seemed to react other than blaming him for destruction and death. Techno stood and opened one of his chests. 

“I have something for you.” He returned to Phil with a compass in his outstretched hand. “It will always point in my direction. If you ever need me, this will lead you straight to me.”

“Thank you.”

“I will do anything for you.” Techno smiled fondly. His eyes moved to Phil’s face as he reflected on his time in childhood where he was convinced that his hair was real gold and Phil was just trying to keep it a secret. How Wilbur always looked on confused at his attempts to persuade Wilbur that cutting Phil’s hair while he was asleep was a good idea and not something that would get them killed. The memories filled his heart with warmth despite the cold and snowy surroundings. He moved to look out the window, frost had layered the window and a dusting of snow sat upon the window sill. 

Phil thought about the little piglin that wobbled more than he walked but still managed to steal his sword and chase his brother around the house. The kid that never seemed to sleep but instead would sit with his older brother and listen to his songs, no matter how many times he heard the same one on loop. He always managed to catch him late at night, so intently focused on his reading or training that he didn’t notice him watching. The kid who became the best fighter he could imagine and was to stubborn to let anyone else win. Phil followed his son and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

Techno let out a deep sigh. “You’re my only friend left in this world, Phil.”

Phil held the compass to his chest, he squeezed Techno a bit tighter. He felt such a swirl of emotions, happiness that despite his other two son’s leaving he still had one so close and yet his accurate connection that few trusted him and less were true friends to him. Techno gently rested his hand of Phil’s shoulder, without a look to each other, they stared out the window. The two watched snow float down lazily from the sky and begin blanketing their footprints left outside. The sun slowly began to sink down towards the horizon as the sky shifted between colors. 

“It’s getting late, Phil, you should probably get home.” 

“You’re right. I’ll be on my way now.” Phil gave one last squeeze around Techno’s shoulders and stepped away. He retrieved his shield from its resting place against the wall, the blues and whites of the Antarctic Empire’s flag painted proudly on the front. Hoisting his packs and shield into place he gave one last smile towards Techno before he headed to the door. As he reached for the door his son rested his hand on his shoulder. He turned and Techno pulled him into a firm hug.

“Anything. If you need anything, I’ll be here.” A nod, and Phil quietly left.

Techno’s eyes followed Phil across the terrain, before long he was over the horizon and all that was left were footprints that were slowly being erased by snow. He stepped away from the window as the sun faded and the moon began to take its place. He sat by the fire and sharpened his sword. Retirement, he thought, what the hell am I supposed to do now? His mind jumped to preparations for upcoming wars and battles but there was little to do. He knew there would continue to be war, just as there always is, but he was ready to lie low, remaining in the background. The sword returned to its place, he made his way towards bed. Techno recounted each of those sleepless nights spent searching for better armor, better weapons, anything to be more prepared, but at last… anxieties eventually coaxed him into an early sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna continue to work on this for awhile and plan to write about the upcoming/new SMP events as they happen! :)


End file.
